In one aspect, this invention relates to an effective cracking catalyst composition. In another aspect, this invention relates to a process for preparing a cracking catalyst composition. In a further aspect, this invention relates to a catalytic cracking process.
Cracking catalysts comprising zeolite embedded in silica-containing matrix materials are known. Also the use of these catalysts for cracking of hydrocarbon oils, such as gas oil, is known. However, with the increasing use of heavier feedstocks which contain metals, such as vanadium, the problem of poisoning and deactivation of cracking catalysts by these metals has become an increasingly serious problem in the refinery industry. This invention is directed to alleviating the problem of deactivation of cracking catalyst by vanadium and to actually deriving benefits from vanadium deposition on zeolite-containing catalyst compositions.